The present invention relates to an information recording device which records and erases information with respect to a recording medium sheet on which information such as characters and images can be rewritten.
Conventionally, paper is widely used as a medium on which information such as images and characters is recorded. The use of paper as information recording medium leads to advantages as follows; information recorded can be viewed all together at once; a plurality of sheets of paper carrying information thereon can be placed side by side so that the information thereon are glanced; and a great degree of freedom is allowed regarding, for example, a place to view the information. The sheets of paper on which information is recorded, however, are disposed upon update of information since rewriting of information thereon is bothersome. This causes exhaustion of resources such as timber resources which are raw materials of paper, as well as an increase in discharge of carbon dioxide, thereby leading to an increase in environmental loads.
Further, CRT display devices and liquid crystal display devices may be cited as examples of information display means for displaying information such as images and characters. Since information displayed on such display devices is easily rewritten or erased, the display devices have an advantage that rewriting of information can be performed repeatedly. The CRT display devices, however, have an drawback in that working on the CRT display devices tire eyes of the users, while the liquid crystal display devices have insufficient resolution, as compared with the resolution in the case where information is recorded on paper.
Therefore, recording media which possess advantages of paper and on which image information is rewritten repeatedly, as is on a display device, have been sought for. An example of an image recording device for use with such a recording medium on which image information is rewritable is disclosed by the Japanese Publication for Laid-Open Patent Application No. 67141/1994 (Tokukaihei 6-67141 (date of publication: Mar. 11, 1994)).
With the image recording device disclosed by the foregoing publication, a recording medium sheet arranged as follows is used: organic or inorganic protective films are provided on surfaces of both sides of such an optical modulation member as a compound film made of a high-molecular material and a low-molecular liquid crystal or a compound film made of a high-molecular liquid crystal and a low-molecular liquid crystal. In other words, the foregoing image recording device performs the writing and erasure of information with respect to the foregoing recording medium sheet by changing an alignment state of liquid crystal of the recording medium sheet by application of an electric field thereto.
Here, the following description will explain a process of the writing and erasure of information performed by the foregoing image recording device, while referring to FIG. 45.
First, initialization of a recording medium sheet 501 is carried out as follows. The recording medium sheet 501 is caused to go through between two rolls 512a and 512b which are connected to an initialization power source. Here, a high frequency voltage, or alternatively, a charge or voltage which has a polarity opposite to that of a charge or voltage with that image information is written in the recording medium sheet 501, is applied to the recording medium sheet 501, whereby the information is erased and initialization is achieved.
Thereafter, the recording medium sheet 501 is caused to go through between a drum 502 and a transfer roller 506 so that an electric charge or voltage pattern is applied to the recording medium sheet 501. With this, information is written therein. Prior to that, a surface of an organic photosensitive body 503 of the drum 502 has been kept in a state of being charged with negative electric charges by use of a corona charger 505, while light of a pattern corresponding to character or image information has been projected by a light projecting unit 504 to the same surface, so that an electric charge pattern corresponding to the character or image information is preparatorily formed thereon.
Then, for elimination of electric shocks, the recording medium sheet 501 in which the information is written is caused to go through between two discharge-use rolls 508a and 508b so that electric charges are removed, and thereafter, the recording medium sheet 501 is ejected.
The recording medium sheet 501 is formed in a film form with a thickness of about 0.1 mm, made of a plastic, and arranged so that information such as characters and images is rewritten and erased repeatedly as well as that an optical modulation member constituting the recording medium sheet 501 has a property as a memory thereby being capable of storing information written therein for a long time.
As described above, the information recording by using the conventional recording medium sheet 501 is characterized by maintaining advantages of paper while being capable of repeatedly rewriting image information as is the case with the display devices.
Regarding the foregoing recording medium sheet, however, its size is limited, depending on a size of an image recording device. In the case where much information is recorded, therefore, a plurality of recording medium sheets are needed. More specifically, to view volumes of information, it is necessary to compile the recording medium sheets all together, since information such as characters or images is individually recorded on each recording medium sheet. Therefore, what is obtained as a result of compilation is very bulky as reference, with no difference from a conventional book.
Moreover, since the foregoing recording medium sheet is made of a plastic sheet as a component thereof, such reference composed of a plurality of the recording medium sheets becomes heavier than paper one, and inconvenient for carrying.
Besides, whenever information recorded on the recording medium sheet is to be rewritten, access to an image recording device such as a copying machine or a printer is required, resulting in an inconvenience that information cannot be recorded at any desired place.
Furthermore, the Japanese Publication for Laid-Open Patent Application No. 48604/1998 (Tokukaihei 10-48604 (date of publication: Feb. 20, 1998)) discloses an advertisement-use medium in which information is repeatedly rewritten. The advertisement-use medium is made of a liquid crystal/polymer compound film with dispersed smectic liquid crystal in a polymer matrix, and erasure and rewriting of information recorded therein is carried out by application of heat or an electric field to the compound film. According to the foregoing publication, the advertisement-use medium may be used as an advertisement-use panel placed at a desired position in a train, a bus, or the like.
To change the advertisement, the foregoing advertisement-use medium is wound and taken into a winding device, while information recorded on the advertisement-use medium is erased by use of an erasing unit provided beside the winding device. Then, the winding device is displaced, and a writing unit provided beside the winding device is connected to an information source, so that character information is obtained from the information source. Thereafter, the advertisement-use medium is pulled out of the winding device, while the information is outputted from the writing unit to the advertisement-use medium. The winding device in a state in which the advertisement-use medium is pulled out therefrom is fitted at a predetermined display position in a train, a bus, or the like, so that the advertisement is displayed.
Thus, there have been drawbacks in that it is necessary to displace the entire winding device, to change the advertisement, i.e., to rewrite information, and besides, that new information to be recorded is obtained only at a place where an information source is located.
An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording device with portability and improved operability, for example, capability of easily recording information at a desired place.
To achieve the foregoing object, the information recording device of the present invention, which is an information recording device for use with a recording medium sheet to which information can be recorded and erased, comprises a device main body which is portable, and which includes (1) a memory section for storing information to be recorded in the recording medium sheet, (2) at least one information recording and erasing section for erasing information recorded in the recording medium sheet to return the recording medium sheet to an initialized state in which recording information is possible, and for recording, as required, information stored in the memory section with respect to the recording medium sheet in the initialized state, and (3) a sheet holding section for holding the recording medium sheet in a manner such that the recording medium sheet can be transported to an erasure position at which information is erased by the information recording and erasing section, and to a recording position at which information is recorded by the information recording and erasing section.
With the foregoing arrangement, the device main body of the information recording device is portable and includes a memory section for storing information, an information recording and erasing section for recording and erasing information, and a sheet holding section for holding the recording medium sheet.
The foregoing information recording and erasing section erases information recorded in the recording medium sheet so as to return the recording medium sheet to an initialized state in which information recording is possible, and records information stored in the memory section in the recording medium sheet. Therefore, the foregoing device is capable of repeatedly rewriting information in the recording medium sheet.
Conventionally, there was a case where information rewritable recording medium sheets were used as advertisement-use media placed at predetermined positions in trains, buses, or the like. Since the advertisement-use media were exclusively used for advertisement in vehicles, there was no need to rewrite information in the advertisement-use medium, that is, the recording medium sheets, at any place at any time.
Therefore, there was no need to provide each advertisement-use medium with a mechanism for storing information. To rewrite information, the advertisement medium was wound and taken in a winding device where information erasing was conducted, and the winding device was detached so that information was supplied to the advertisement-use medium at a different place, then the medium was returned to the predetermined place so as to be exhibited.
If the medium is used for other purposes, however, greater advantage can be enjoyed in the case where information can be rewritten at any place at any time. Or to state differently, the information recording device can be used for a variety of purposes if the device is capable of easily rewriting information without limitation on the place and the time.
Therefore, in the information recording device of the present invention, as described above, the device main body is arranged so as to be portable, and a memory section for storing information to be recorded in the recording medium sheet is provided. Therefore, it is possible to read out information from the memory section and display it on the recording medium sheet whenever necessary, and the user is allowed to record information in the recording medium sheet and view it at any place at any time.
Furthermore, since information recorded is rewritable with use of the information recording and erasing section, massive information can be read with use of one recording medium sheet, thereby resulting in reduction of used recording medium sheets in number.
Furthermore, in the information recording device, the sheet holding section may hold the recording medium sheet in a manner such that the recording medium sheet is curved at portions thereof other than those at which information recording and erasing is carried out.
With the foregoing arrangement, a space required for holding the recording medium sheet can be made smaller, since the sheet holding section holds the recording medium sheet in a curved state. As a result, the device main body can be made smaller in size.
Furthermore, in the foregoing information recording device, there may be provided (1) a transport path for guiding the recording medium sheet to the erasure position and the recording position, (2) a plurality of the information recording and erasing section disposed along the transport path, and (3) two openings through which the recording medium sheet is brought in and out, the openings being provided at ends of the transport path on an upper part and a lower part of a same surface of the device main body, and the device main body may be arranged so that the sheet holding section holds the recording medium sheet in a manner such that the recording medium sheet is curved at portions thereof other than those at which information recording and erasing is carried out.
With the foregoing arrangement, information erasing and recording can be carried out while the recording medium sheet is transported in one direction along the transport path, since there are provided a plurality of information recording and erasing sections.
Accordingly, since information rewriting can be carried out with respect to the recording medium sheet during a period since the recording medium sheet is brought into the device main body from outside through one opening until it is brought to outside the device main body through the other opening, the information rewriting can be more speedily performed as compared with the case where the recording medium sheet in an initialized state is once housed in the device main body and information recording is carried out when the recording medium sheet is discharged.
Moreover, since the openings are provided in an upper part and a lower part of one and same surface of the device main body, respectively, it is possible to conduct the bringing-in and -out of the recording medium sheet on the one and same surface. Therefore, a space required for the use of the device can be made smaller.
Furthermore, in the foregoing information recording device, the device main body may be arranged so that the recording medium sheet held by the sheet holding section is brought in and out in a spread state.
With the foregoing arrangement, the recording medium sheet can be used without curving it, since the device main body is arranged so that the bringing-in and -out of the recording medium sheet can be performed with the device main body kept in a spread state. As a result, there is substantially no possibility of the recording medium sheet becoming curved and damaged during the bringing-in and -out operation.
Besides, since it is possible to record information with respect to the recording medium sheet in a spread state and display the information in the same state as well as the device main body is portable, it is possible to used the information recording device as if using a book.
Moreover, since necessary information is stored in the memory section, information rewriting by the information recording and erasing section at any place is possible, thereby resulting in that the information recording device is more convenient than conventional books.